It’s no secret that fragrances dominate the Middle Eastern beauty sphere. According to a Euromoniters report, fragrances account for nearly 20 percent of the beauty market. A report by market research company Chalhoub Group found that the region’s consumption of fragrances increases by 12 percent each year, one of the highest in the world.
In the Middle East and North Africa, scents have been an integral part of the culture for centuries; more than just a means to smell good, wearing an eau de parfum is seen as a gesture of politeness and cleanliness, and in some cases even denotes religious devotion. Though commercial scents have a cult-following in the region, the average Arab consumer is loyal to homegrown brands. From Arcadia, a range of niche perfumes by Emirati Amna Al Habtoor, to Odict, a lineup of six Kuwait-based perfumes that use high-quality ingredients to “make every day feel like a magical dream,” here are five homegrown fragrances to envelop yourself in.